Listen to Your Heart
by prettyinpinkgal
Summary: Takes place after Howl regains his heart. Howl is ready to begin a relationship with Sophie, but encounters some problems. T just in case.


**Prettyinpinkgal: Yes, I am obsessed. My third HMC oneshot. Enjoy! Oh, and I don't know what Sophie's last name is in the movie (I think it's still Hatter, but I'm not sure) so I'm just going with her last name from the book. Everything else, however, is based on the movie.  
**

**Disclaimer: I own Howl's Moving Castle (the book), and I own the movie. But I didn't create it. :(**

**LISTEN TO YOUR HEART  
**

Howl gazed at the scattered parts of his beloved castle. He sighed, but stopped when he realized that he wasn't the only one doing so. The silver-haired girl beside him was doing the same thing.

"I'm sorry," she said, sounding upset. "But it was the only way..."

"Don't worry about it, Sophie," he replied with a smile, holding her close with a smile. He felt her heart pound quickly at their closeness, as his recently regained heart did the same. But he enjoyed every second of it. "It won't take long to repair it."

After using much of Howl's power, the castle looked better than ever, and was even able to fly--a feature that everyone was excited about. However, Sophie stayed apart from the rest of the group as she gazed at the castle, looking longingly--and somewhat sadly--at it.

Howl noticed this and walked over to her. "Sophie?" he asked, concern in his eyes. "Are you alright?" An idea came to him. "You're not afraid of flying, are you?"

Sophie turned to him and said teasingly, "After all the flying you made me do? If I was ever afraid, I'm quite fine now!"

Howl laughed. "True, true." More serious, he asked, "Really, what's wrong?"

Sophie looked as though she was about to tell him, "Nothing's wrong!" but apparently thought better of it. Instead, she sighed again and asked quietly, "Are you sure you want me to stay? At the castle, I mean."

Howl blinked. "Of course! Do...do you not want to live here anymore?" he asked, a little afraid of what the answer will be.

"That's not it at all! I just...I've caused so much trouble for all of you, and I get angry easily, and I can be a busybody, and...!"

Howl wrapped his arms around her quickly and kissed her full on the lips. He felt Sophie tense (she still wasn't used to being kissed), but slowly relax. Reluctantly, he stopped kissing so that they could breathe, and said with a childish smile on his face, "And you talk too much. But you also saved our lives, broke my contract, rescued my heart, and so much more."

To his surprise, instead of smiling at him, Sophie looked dejected and took a step back. She asked, in almost a whisper, "Is that the only reason you want me to stay?" Howl could tell that she was also asking, "Do you only love me because I saved your heart?"

Howl was about to answer, then realized he wasn't sure himself. What if he only thought he loved her, since she saved his heart?

Sophie continued, her face clear of emotion, but her eyes showing the hurt she felt. "If you really think about it, we hardly know each other. It's silly, really. We're practically like strangers," she said with an empty smile.

Howl didn't know what to say. He had never given to any thought to this. Thankfully, he didn't need to answer right away, since Markl ran up, Heen at his heels, and told Howl and Sophie to get in the castle so that it could take off.

"Coming!" Sophie called. Without saying anything else to Howl, she followed the boy and the dog into the castle. Howl paused, staring at the sky. For the first time, Howl had no idea what to say to a woman.

* * *

Sophie was unlike any woman Howl had ever met. She was able to hold her own opinions, and could irritate him, but she also was kind, even to those who didn't deserve it. Just look at how she treated the Witch, Heen, and even himself! 

Yes, Sophie was unlike any woman Howl had encountered, and that was a problem.

With other women, Howl always knew the exact thing to say to cheer them up. With Sophie, pretty words didn't work. They had to come from the heart (no pun intended).

Did he love her? Did he really and truly love her, not just because she saved him and his heart? Howl considered this late at night, staring at the darkened, decorated ceiling of his bedroom. The castle was flying smoothly, and if Howl didn't know better, he'd think the castle wasn't moving at all.

Howl laid his hand upon his chest. _**Bu-dump. Bu-dump. **_He felt the beating in his fingers. So many emotions, long forgotten through time, had come back to him. The ugly feelings such as jealousy came up when he considered that turnip-head of a prince. He had said that Sophie was his true love. _There's no way I'm giving Sophie up, _Howl thought, glaring into the ceiling as if he was glaring at the prince himself.

But was it love that was making him jealous? Perhaps there was some other explanation... Memories of Sophie flew through his mind, from the moment he found a terrified brown-haired mouse in the alley to the time she gazed in amazement at the fields of flowers he showed her. From the moment he heard her--as a silver-haired woman--yell at both himself and Calcifer that night when he and the star made the contract, to when she pounced on him after he regained his heart.

Howl started, sitting up abruptly and feeling his chest. His heart had sped up considerably--was that normal? It didn't feel like anything was wrong, except that his face felt slightly warmer than usual. "What are you doing to me, Sophie?" he whispered out loud.

That's when it hit him. He, Howl Jenkins, Howl Pendragon, and any other of his aliases, was in love with Sophie Hatter just for her being her. It was as simple as that.

Howl grinned, happy that he figured it out. _Yet another benifit of having a heart: You can use it to find answers your head can't give you, _he mused as he hopped to his feet. He was going to pay his love a little visit.

* * *

Sophie lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. How strange it was, to be in her bedroom as a young girl once again. 

The silver-haired girl had tried for the past two hours to fall asleep, but found it impossible to do so. She was too worried about her relationship with Howl. She wouldn't blame him for going after another woman. After all, there was no way he'd truly love her for being herself. What was there to love, anyway? She was simply a hatter's daughter. She wasn't ugly, but she wasn't a beauty, either. Not to mention, she could be short-tempered.

_Oh, stop thinking like that, _she mentally scolded herself. But it was a hard habit to break. Sophie was teased by the boys constantly when she was young, and it got to the point where she believed the things they said, such as her being ugly (although she just believed she wasn't beautiful) and other such things. She then simply kept her mouth shut and basically broke herself off from the world.

It was only when she was transformed into an old woman that she gained the courage to speak up and yell. When Sophie first realized she had that courage, she was overjoyed. After so long of keeping quiet, even around her sister and mother, she was happy to at last people to speak her mind.

Unfortunately, Sophie, now younger, was having a difficult time keeping that courage.

A knock came from the door, startling Sophie out of her thoughts. "It must be Markl," she whispered to herself as she got out of bed. She figured he wanted a late-night snack.

"Yes?" she asked as she opened the door. She nearly gasped with surprise when she saw Howl at the door, a broad smile on his face that made her heart go crazy.

"Howl!" she whispered in a shocked voice. Sophie then closed the door so it only showed her face, which was bright red. Howl had seen her in her nightdress!

He didn't seem to notice her embarrassment, though. "I need to talk to you," he said in his silky-smooth voice. "Meet me in the garden."

Sophie could only nod, then shut the door to change into something more suitable.

* * *

Howl had to wait only a couple minutes when Sophie emerged from the castle. Her expression revealed her curiosity. He smiled again. 

"What did you want to tell me?" Sophie inquired, tilting her head slightly. Howl couldn't help but think how cute she looked.

"It's about what you said earlier, about how you thought I loved you because of what you did for me," he started.

Sophie's curious expression gave way to reveal her sadness. "Oh. I understand. You don't have to finish."

Howl blinked, surprised. "Wh-wha--?"

"Really, Howl. It's okay. I know you're sort of a coward when it comes to confrontations, so I won't make you finish."

"So--"

Sophie's silver bangs covered her eyes. "Howl, it's alright. I'm going to leave as soon as Calcifer lands the castle. Then you can forget all about me."

Howl frowned. "And why are leaving?"

"Won't the next girls you chase get the wrong idea if they find a girl living in your home?" she asked, her voice cracking a little.

"What makes you think there will be other girls?" he demanded.

"W-well, you'd get bored of me, since you only love me because I gave you your heart back."

Howl gave a half-smile. "Yes, I suppose I would, if I only loved you for giving me my heart."

Sophie's eyes widened beneath her bangs. _Did he say "loved"? Not "love"? _

Howl continued, a true smile beginning to grow on his face. "But, unfortunately, you never gave me my heart back." Upon seeing Sophie's confused expression, he explained as he lightly held her shoulders, "Sophie, you physically gave me a heart, but really, you stole it."

Realization dawned on Sophie. Her cheeks became a redish color, and then she tried to break free of Howl's grip, which tightened ever so slightly as she struggled. "S-stop lying! There's no possible way you could truly love someone like me..." she said, tears starting to cloud her vision.

Startled by the harshness in her words, Howl was briefly speechless. Then his eyes became hard. "What is that supposed to mean? I know I'm not used to having a heart, but I--"

"It's...not you," Sophie began, a sob catching in her throat. "It's me. I know you're very..._proud _of your looks, and you always chase after pretty girls. Besides, I'm--"

Howl let out an irritated noise, and silenced her with a kiss. It was rather forceful, but it made Sophie stop talking, at least. He pulled away and gazed at Sophie's face, which had become covered with tearstains. His eyes softened, and he caressed her cheek. "Sophie, you are truly the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, no matter what your hair color is," he added to lighten up the mood a bit. Sophie let out a small laugh.

Howl smiled, happy that she laughed. "But even if you were the most hideous creature on the face of the planet, I would still love you. You've changed me, Sophie. You're so kind to others, you don't even think about yourself. You willingly sacrifice yourself for the sake of others, and you forgive me even when I make a mess on your clean floors." This resulted in a slightly louder laugh by Sophie. Howl leaned in closer to her face, making Sophie's heart pound furiously. "I know you deserve better, but I love you, Sophie Hatter. I love you more than anything and anyone. Will you stay here with me?" he asked, his eyes looking into hers.

Sophie's eyes widened, and she nearly started crying again--this time, of happiness. "Yes!" she cried, throwing herself into his arms. They laughed, and he picked her up and swung her around.

It wasn't exactly a marriage proposal, but that would come up in a few months.

**Prettyinpinkgal: I liked writing this :). I started writing it a few months ago, but didn't know where to go with it. I finally finished writing, like, half of it today. I'm sorry if the personalities were OOC. I hope you enjoyed! Please let me know what you think by reviewing! Arigato gizaimasu (thank you very much)!**


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